Ireland Gives World Games Spot to Iroquois Nationals

September 11, 2020 

The Iroquois Nationals are headed to the men's lacrosse competition at The World Games 2022 following a remarkable gesture from Ireland. Despite qualifying for the tournament, Ireland Lacrosse pulled out of the competition after hearing that the Iroquois Nationals were denied a spot in the field by the International World Games Association. 

The World Games, a multi-sport competition played every four years and initially scheduled for this summer in Birmingham, Alabama, was pushed back due to the coronavirus pandemic. Only eight lacrosse teams were selected for the tournament based on their finishes at the 2018 World Championships; the Iroquois came in third and Ireland took 12th. 

However, the Iroquois Nationals - a Native American team - were initially excluded from the International World Games since they are not a sovereign nation and don't have an Olympic Committee. However, lacrosse's roots trace back to the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, which consists of the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca and Tuscarora Nations. The Nations invented the sport and participate in international competitions as an independent team, the Iroquois Nationals. 

Lacrosse has been around for centuries and it is believed the Native Americans invented the game as early as the 12th century. Lacrosse is not only a sport, but originally was played as a spiritual endeavour, meant to give thanks and praises to the gods, a tradition which the Iroquois Nationals lacrosse team follows to this day. 

“We play this game to give enjoyment to the Creator,” clarified Ansley Jemison, general manager of the Iroquois Nationals. Before the game, the team gathers around their spiritual advisor who leads a traditional tobacco-burning rite, among other rituals that prepare the players to take the field. 

In August, World Lacrosse, The International World Games Association and The World Games 2022 Birmingham Organizing Committee reversed course and issued a joint statement confirming teams representing the Haudenosaunee Nation would be eligible to compete at the World Games, pending further qualification. "This will require further agreement from other organizations involved in international sport, which World Lacrosse will seek to obtain," the statement said.

After the decision, an engrated Ireland Lacrosse opted to withdraw, giving their spot to the Iroquois Nationals. 

"It's simply the right thing to do," Michael Kennedy, chief executive officer of Ireland Lacrosse said. "We are a proud member of World Lacrosse and we recognize the importance of The World Games to the continued growth of our sport. As much as our players would have been honored to compete, we know the right thing is for the Iroquois Nationals to represent our sport on this international stage." 

The World Lacrosse received "letters of no objection" from the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee, the Canadian Olympic Committee, U.S. Lacrosse and the Canadian Lacrosse Association, clearing the pathway for the Iroquois Nationals to compete in Alabama. Both the men's and women's teams representing the Haudenosaunee Nation will be eligible to compete if they qualify for the criteria set by World Lacrosse and approved by The International World Games Association. 

This story originally appeared on Sports Illustrated.